Seven under Coalition umbrella

THE COALITION OF Unified parties will see seven candidates contesting the May 24 General Election.

In what is seen as a record year for candidates contesting the 30 seats in Parliament, president of both the Coalition and the Bajan Free Party, Alex Mitchell, says it was very difficult for “poor people” to get into the electoral race. He also claimed the $250 candidate deposit was too high and unaffordable to people who did not earn that amount on a weekly basis.

Mitchell, the Bajan Free Party candidate for St Michael South, is one of six candidates contesting seats under the Coalition’s umbrella. The others are Enlou Serer, John Wayne Scantlebury, Steve Hunte, Mark Adamson, Eric Marshall and Rodney Nurse.

Failure of supporters

After handing in nomination papers Monday, Mitchell also complained about the failure of supporters of his party to show up on Nomination Day, attributing it to the fact that “everybody has to work and no time is given to come off from work to come and help people get on to the ballot”.

Mitchell was disappointed that only one of the ten people he had lined up to be at the Grayson Sealy Secondary School with him, showed up.

He only managed to secure the two required witnesses less than an hour before he was due to face the returning officer.  (GC)